I stumbled upon God Save the Queen at my local Friends of the Library book sale, and it looked so intriguing that I had to give it a shot. It’s a graphic novel written by Mike Carey and illustrated by John Bolton.

God Save the Queen alternates between our own world and the kingdom of the fae. In the fae kingdom, Queen Titania has been overthrown (but not killed) by the deranged Queen Mab. Mab is frightening and 100% evil. She’s also extremely powerful, so resistance is futile.

In modern day London, a rebellious teenager named Linda is going through a rough patch. She lives with her mother, and her dad walked out on them. Linda becomes part of the punk scene, and eventually falls in with a group of “teens” who are shooting up heroin. Except they aren’t just any teens, and it’s not just any heroin. Mixing heroin with Linda’s blood just so happens to be a unique high for the fae, and they’ll do anything they can to get their next fix. When their supply runs out, Linda goes with them to the fae realm, where she finds herself caught up in the fae civil war.

This was an interesting little gem for several reasons.

It’s a standalone. Yay!

The art has a psychedelic influence, and is lovely.

Sensitive treatment of drug addiction. We can empathize with Linda and see how she got into the mess that she does. We can see the very real negative impact that drugs have on her life, but it isn’t just a “drugs are bad” kind of story. There’s nuance and understanding, and Linda’s experiences with heroin are treated as a complex situation.

The fae are dark and scary and wonderful.

Fantastic storytelling.

Did I mention angry fae?

I’m so glad that I came across God Save the Queen, and recommend it without hesitation.